The rebuilding and struggling Charlotte Hornets get set to take on the upstart Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night inside FiservForum in Milwaukee, WI. They tip it off at 8 pm. These two teams will turn around and play each other again on Thursday in Charlotte.  Bookmaker has installed the Bucks as a heavy -14.5 point favorite. 

The Bucks (37-21) have strung together a couple of wins after a brief two-game slide. They have won four out of their last six to stop the bleeding and are still looking up at the surprise Cleveland Cavaliers, who have emerged as a serious threat to the Bucks in the Central Division.

On Sunday, Milwaukee beat up on a depleted Philadelphia 76ers team and these are the types of performances their fans have been waiting for. Take care of struggling teams and do not allow them to hang around in games. The Bucks triumphed, 119-98, and did a nice job limiting second chance opportunities for the 76ers. 

Offensively, Milwaukee has seemed to start to get into a groove and they are scoring some points. They are led by the face of the franchise and arguably one of the game's best players in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging around 30.8 points per contest. 

The Bucks have also done a better job on the boards when it comes to rebounding and that was something that has been emphasized. They average 44/1 boards per contest. 

The Hornets (15-42) are just trying to get to the finish line and put behind them another miserable season and campaign. They have struggled on both ends of the floor this season and they have not been able to stay in some games. The lack of competitiveness is alarming with this team. 

They have been dealt with some serious injuries to key players and will miss the playoffs again. Small forward Miles Bridges is their best scoring option at this point and he is averaging around 21.5 points per game to go along with a career-high 7.4 rebounds for a team that has had issues on the glass. If they can not keep this game close and contain Antetokounmpo early on they could get blown out. 

The Hornets need to find a way to make this an ugly game and they need to force some turnovers and score off of them if they wish to keep this game close. If they can knock down some three-point shots early on they can build some confidence and keep it close heading into the half. If not, it will be a long night and easy cover and win for the Bucks. 

The Bucks are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 11-17 in their road games against the number and the totals have gone over in just one out of their last five games. The totals have also gone over in 18 out of their last 30 games at home. The Hornets are 4-1 in their last five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the spread and they have compiled a mark of 10-18 in their road games against the number. The totals have gone over in none of their last five games.